Kiss for Luck
by Disera
Summary: Rictus Erectus finds a woman wandering Fury Road and decided to bring her back to the Citadel. With the help of Rictus and the Organic Mechanic she escapes life as one of Immortan Joe's wife and becomes a Warboy.
1. Chapter 1

She could feel herself dying. Despite the fact that she was standing upright she knew she didn't have much time left. She had been walking for days and sleeping where she fell. Her skin was dry, burnt, and blistered. The bottoms of her feet were cut and oozing fresh blood despite the length of time it had been since the initial injury. Her nakedness had long since been forgotten and she swayed and stumbled through the sand and rocks without shame or conscious thought.

Had she not been so beaten down she would have cried at the sight of tire tracks and the worn road ahead of her. Instead it were as if nothing had changed. Civilization was out there somewhere, she only had to reach it. Then she would have a chance. The ringing in her ears was abruptly interrupted by the sound of several roaring engines and tires flinging up dust and rocks. She stopped just as the land evened out and turned her head in the direction of the noise. Even then the energy to feel any positivity was lost to her.

Rictus was lounging on the hood of a speeding car, propped lazily against the windshield with his hands laced behind his head. He was heading back to the Citadel after a successful negotiation in Gastown. His father would be proud and Rictus would no doubt be rewarded for his efforts. He was wondering what that reward might be when he was distracted by the shout of a Lancer. He was turning to yell at the man for disturbing his peace when his eyes caught the cause.

Standing on the edge of the road was a woman. He flagged for the driver to stop and the others trailing them followed suit. Rictus slid down off the hood and began approaching the woman. Her skin was pale as the sand and, as he got closer, he noticed it was pink in places and blistered from the sun. Her figure and long, light, windswept hair reminded him of his father's wives. He was beginning to think she was beautiful enough for such a roll when he got close enough to see her eyes. They were as pale and blue as the sky over his head.

As soon as she could see his eyes she collapsed. Usually, Rictus would have allowed her to crumple to her knees. He had no feelings towards most people, especially women, but something about this one seemed different. His feeble mind couldn't manage to put his finger on it, but he did act. Rictus hurried forward the last few steps quickly enough to catch her just before her knees hit the dirt.

As he lowered her the rest of the way with surprising gentleness he was struck by how strong her fingers were around his arms. They pressed hard and the nails dug in. She was desperately trying to feel something real, something human. She needed to convince herself this was happening and wasn't a fever dream.

Rictus lifted one hand to her shoulder, feeling it shiver despite the heat. The longer he looked at her the more confused he was. What was a woman doing out here? She didn't look like a scavenger or one of the Wretched and she wasn't coming from the direction of any settlement he knew of. She should have been in some oasis with other wives.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, brows knitted together as he looked down at the trembling creature.

The sound of his voice and the feeling of it reverberating through his chest was enough to awaken her. Parts of her brain that had shut down to protect her sanity switched back on and a pained wail ripped from her dry throat. She screamed at nothing, doubling over and would have cried had she had the tears. Still sobbing dryly she climbed onto Rictus, feeling his body twitch and shift under her starved hands.

Rictus was shocked at the way the woman clutched at him. He had never seen anything like it let alone experienced it. His father's wives never touched him and his father had never touched them in such a way in his presence. It struck him that he had seen similar behavior among the pups taken from the Wretched. When they slept they would all cling to each other in a heap, but he had never understood why.

"Help me," The words scraped out of her throat. Rictus found the sound unpleasant, but her request gave him an idea. He shoved his arm between them and pushed her back from him just enough to see her face. She was dirty and injured, but he could see the beauty just beneath the surface.


	2. Chapter 2

"Okay," He agreed with a firm nod and the most determined look in his eyes. The woman fell back against him and he stood, lifting her with ease. She was very small and thin, even more so than his father's wives. He doubted even they would be as easy to lift. With one arm he carried her back to the waiting car and took up his post on the hood again. He signaled for the driver to move and no questions were asked.

The woman was frightened by the sudden movement and was sure, even through her flood of emotion, that the people she had run into were insane. She clung to Rictus' shoulders and tightened her legs around his middle, craning her neck and twisting this way and that. Rictus watched the fear in her wide eyes morph into wonder and he too became unusually excited by the situation.

Being the fearless person Rictus was he decided to instill that in the woman. With a sinister smile he grabbed hold of her hips and effortlessly heaved her onto the roof of the car above his head. He knew she would be afraid again, but he wanted to see if that wonder would eclipse it like it had before.

Her heart hammered as she suddenly found herself on the roof. She was sure she was going to die, but the adrenaline filled her with something different than the numb fear she had felt only moments ago. Her hands scrambled for something to grab hold of and her legs tangled in Rictus' arms. To her dismay, he easily freed himself of her hold.

Her eyes finally focused and she spotted a railing in front of her where the Lancer was leaning and watching her without expression. His eyes widened slightly and his lips curved upward when the girl curled her fingers around the bar. Teeth gritted and resolve steeled, she pulled herself across the roof of the car and swung herself over the bar.

She stood on the other side, knuckles white against metal and toes curled around a lower bar as the seventy mile an hour wind whipped her hair back. The hooting and hollering of the Warboys and Rictus at her small victory accompanied by the surprisingly cool air forcing its way down her throat filled her with a sensation she had never experienced. A smile grew on her face too and her eyes connected with Rictus'. She stepped up one bar higher, her hips braced against the highest one and she raised one arm in the air, splaying her fingers to feel the wind run through them. Despite the state of her throat she added her own shrill war cry to those of the others.

They slowed when approaching the Citadel and Rictus gestured for her to come back. Fear gripped her again, but she did as she was expected to do. She pulled her legs over the rail again and kept her center low. She may have been able to manage the rest herself, but didn't get a chance to find out as Rictus grabbed hold of her ankle and pulled her the rest of the way.

Suddenly well aware of her state she covered herself as best she could as they entered the Citadel and were suddenly swarmed with people. The Wretched with their matted hair and bodies dressed in rags clawed and reached for her. She pulled back her limbs, making it more difficult to keep her balance on the hood. Rictus stood, kicking at them and stomping their grimy fingers under his boot. He hissed and yelled and instead of being startled, she felt good knowing he was on her side.

They drove onto a lift and she was a little relieved to no longer be flying through the desert. She rose to her knees and looked around at all the people. There were the Wretched and then many more up above like the men in and on the cars she had come with. They looked haunting and that fascinated her. Once they started moving upward Rictus, still standing, lifted her to her feet and pulled her to him possessively. She didn't mind. He was the first person she'd seen in a very long time and he had saved her. Being close to him was the best thing she could remember ever feeling.

In fact, the euphoria was beginning to make her feel a bit light headed. She leaned more heavily against him as her legs began to tremble and her body began to tingle. Her vision blackened around the edges and her breath became ragged. For a minute there she thought she was going to throw up. The events of the last ten minutes had been a bit too much for her weakened body to handle. Regardless, she did everything she could to keep herself upright. If she'd managed that long she could go a little further.


	3. Chapter 3

After coming to a stop and seeing how unstable the small woman was on her feet, Rictus lifted her once again and carried her. He only placed her on her feet again when they reached the top of the first tower where his father and brother were over looking the Citadel.

"I trust the negotiation went well?" Immortan Joe asked without turning to look at his youngest son. The woman was slightly relieved at this. From the back he didn't look all that pleasant and she didn't imagine the front would be much better.

"Yes," Rictus said, leaving more to be addressed.

Corpus turned enough to look at his brother, having caught on to the question in his tone. Before he could inquire about it his eyes fell on the woman and narrowed.

"Who the hell is this? You can't just be dragging women back from Gastown, you oaf!" Corpus scolded his much bigger brother without fear of retaliation.

"I am not an oaf!" Rictus shouted back, his grip tightening painfully on the woman's arm. She shrugged her shoulder with the pain and reached up for his hand, hoping to bring his attention to the problem, but he was too angry to notice.

The mention of a woman caught Immortan Joe's attention. With a bit of effort he stood and turned to face them. She had been right about not wanting to get an eyeful of him. Rictus was most certainly better to look at.

"Who is the girl, Rictus?" Joe said in a low tone. It wasn't as much angry as it was lightly scolding. He spoke to his son the way one would speak to a puppy who had gotten into something they shouldn't have.

"I found her. She was on the road," Rictus said defensively and tugged her a bit closer, his grip thankfully looser. She wanted to hide behind him, but didn't dare fight his grip even a little bit.

"I was hoping," His voice softened and took on the tone of a small child. It was pretty clear by then he didn't have all his mental faculties intact. "Well, I did what you asked and I was hoping...she could be my reward?" She wasn't too fond of the idea of being a _thing_ but she liked Rictus so far and it was better than dying alone in the desert.

"You know I am the only one allowed wives," Joe stepped close enough to take the girl's chin in his grisly hand. He smelled strange; chemical and bitter. She tried to jerk her face out of his grip, but he held tight. "This one is a bit broken, but she will heal well given the proper amount of time. I suspect she will give you a beautiful and strong baby brother," Fear gripped her with such intensity she wasn't sure she was going to be able to stay on her feet.

"No," She choked and grabbed desperately at Rictus.

"What is your name?" Joe asked, moving his face ever closer to hers.

"Fawn," She answered reluctantly.

Joe hummed and lifted his hand to her head, where he stroked her filthy hair and, despite the dirt she was covered in, she had never felt so disgusting.

"No," She whimpered again, shaking her head and looking at the man with pathetically pleading eyes. "No, please," By now she had pushed the limits of her dry throat and was taken over by a coughing fit. At some point while doubled over hacking, Joe ordered Rictus to take her to see the Organic Mechanic and report back to him after hearing what he had to say.

This time when Rictus picked her up, Fawn held onto him as tightly as she could manage and hid her face against his neck. There had to be a way out of this. She couldn't be that man's wife; one of the many from the sound of it. If that happened she may regret succeeding in clawing her way out of that god forsaken desert.

Fawn was pleased to see that the Organic Mechanic was a fairly normal looking person. He was relatively clean and didn't look like an animated skeleton. Rictus sat her down on an examination table and she kept her head down, contemplating how to proceed from here.

"Who's this?" The Organic Mechanic asked, genuinely curious as to who this new woman was. It wasn't very often a female was brought up into the towers.


	4. Chapter 4

"Fawn," Rictus responded, staring down forlornly at his lost prize. He clenched his fists in anger. His father already had five wives, five playthings. Why could he have one? Just one. _This_ one.

"Fawn," The Mechanic repeated slowly. He hummed to himself and lifted her chin. She let him examine her face without a fuss, but wouldn't make eye contact.

"Where did you get her?" He asked after releasing her. He was riffling through his drawers and Fawn was almost afraid of what monstrous tool he would pull out.

"Fury Road," Rictus answered simply and wondered to himself for the first time what she had been doing in such a hostile place. He leaned down to be eye level with her and peer into those orbs of endless sky. She looked back, tears welling. He was the only seemingly safe thing she had to cling to and it was only a matter of time before he was ripped away.

"The hell were you doing there?" The Mechanic asked, drawing her attention. She briefly glanced over her shoulder at him before answering.

"My family," She stumbled over a cough and the Mechanic fetched her a glass of water. She drank it hungrily, having forgotten days ago how thirsty she was. "My family traveled. No one place was very good so we just kept walking. We were attacked in the mountains. They killed everyone else," She swallowed hard and wrung her stinging hands.

"So I did what we always do. I kept walking. Only this time I was alone and I knew I couldn't survive that way. I thought if I could just find a settlement or one other person I would be okay. I would adapt, but...I wish I hadn't," Death or slavery? Death was starting to sound better and better.

"Valhalla wasn't ready for you," Fawn looked up from her hands at the sound of Rictus' voice. "Dad will take you there when you're supposed to go," He meant to be reassuring, but the thought didn't seem too great to Fawn.

"No," She spat, her face twisting with disgust. "No, he's not taking me anywhere. I'd rather _die_ than see that _horrid_ face again," She had lept up and skirted around Rictus. "I'll take my chances in the desert," She was backing towards the door, ready to run for it.

"You're not going anywhere," The Mechanic said and waved a hand at Rictus, who simply reached over and grabbed her. Pinned firmly to his chest, Fawn gripped his arm and began pleading.

"Please, there has to be some other way. Some other way for me to live here. And if there isn't you _have_ to let me go!" She pulled weakly against Rictus' grip. She knew he wouldn't budge, but she couldn't manage to stand still.

"He's already got his eyes on you," The Mechanic shook his head. "Look at you. You're a little banged up, but you're gorgeous. Women don't get a pass around here. You're a wife or you're down with the Wretched. If I were you I'd pick the option that gets you food and water," Fawn was about to scream some weak plea, but Rictus spoke first.

"Furiosa," He sounded like he was hatching a plan and the Mechanic didn't look like he was very happy about it.

"Who's Furiosa?" Fawn asked, grabbing at the potential way out.

"She's an Imperator. She does Immortan Joe's dirty work and leads the Warboys with the other Imperator's. She's the only female in the towers who isn't a wife or a milk mother," Fawn's eyes widened at the potential.

"Why? How-"

"She's missing an arm. She's imperfect, so when she was brought up Immortan Joe didn't want her. He threw her to the Warboys figuring she wouldn't last long, but she rose through the ranks and he assigned her to protect the wives," The Mechanic shot a narrowed glance at Rictus, who stiffened.

"Thing is, you're not missing any limbs and he's already seen you, so, if you walk out of here without one he's going to know something's up. Then we all die and I'm not risking my life for a piece of ass," Fawn's eyes darted around desperately searching for a loop hole.

"Well, what if I-" She was breathing heavily, panic and fear flooding in. "What if I do it myself? Something...smaller. You could just say it happened so fast you couldn't do anything about it," Her eyes met the Mechanic's hopefully.


	5. Chapter 5

The man rubbed his face and sighed deeply.

"Rictus?" Fawn looked up at the gigantic man holding her. Her head just barely reached his chest. He looked down at her questioningly. "Do you think it could work?" She knew she had some sort of hold on him. She just hoped it was strong enough.

He stared at her for a few seconds before glancing around the room. He reached towards a surgical tray and picked up a scalpel, offering it to her. She could easily have stabbed him with it, but it hadn't even occurred to him that she would use it as a weapon. Even if she had though, he barely would have felt a thing and certainly wouldn't have let her go.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me. What are you going to do? Stab your eye out? That probably won't even be enough," Fawn licked her lips and flexed her fingers. A few of them could go. She could learn to live without them. She could learn to live without an eye too.

"What's enough?" Fawn asked.

Rictus turned her around and nudged her back onto the examination table. He looked her over.

"Both eyes," He said, seeming satisfied.

"I need at least one," Fawn insisted.

"I can't believe this is happening," The Mechanic grumbled as he stomped to the door and turned the lock.

"Look, if you're gonna mutilate yourself you've gotta make it look like you tried to kill yourself. If Immortan Joe thinks you fucked up your face just to get out of being his wife he'll just keep you out of spite. Hell, if you go through with this he'll probably just kill you anyway," The Mechanic told her.

"No! I want her," Rictus slammed his fists down on the examination table, denting it. Fawn jumped slightly and the Mechanic looked wearily at his damaged equipment.

"Yeah, well, I want to bathe daily, but I don't see that happening," The Mechanic grumbled.

Fawn was in her own little world, staring into the gleam of the blade in her hand. She felt like she was going to puke. In her lifetime she'd had to do some pretty difficult things to get by. Hell, she'd just survived wandering naked around the desert for a few days. She wasn't, however, too keen on the idea of stabbing her own eye out and then trying to kill herself...somehow.

"So, I kill myself, someone kills me, or maybe I live for a while," She turned the blade, never looking away from it. "I think I'll take my chances," Even though she knew it was about to happen it didn't feel real at all.

"Fine," The Mechanic said, sounding irritated. He pulled a tray in front of her and set a mirror on it before grabbing a thick cloth and tying it tightly around her mouth. "This is what you're gonna do. You're gonna pick and eye and jam that scalpel right into it. When you pull it out your eye should come with it. If not you're going to have to pry it out with your fingers. Sound fun? Now, after that it's just gonna dangle there by the nerve so you're gonna have to rip it the rest of the way out." He moved behind her and put his finger to her throat.

"Then, when that doesn't kill you, you're going to take the blade across your throat just like this," He slid his finger across her throat. "Except harder and faster. Then I have about a minute to stop you from bleeding out, maybe less since you're already in bad shape. Also, I'm gonna need you to not scream too loud. Don't want to be attracting attention," Fawn expected to be shaking, but she was eerily still.

"Now, I am doing a lot for you right now, so after this, when I tell you to do something, you're going to do it. If I tell you to suck my dick you're going to do it. If I tell you to jump off the Citadel you're going to do that too. Go it?" Fawn blinked at the man and nodded. None of that stuff really mattered anyway. What mattered was that she was about to fucking kill herself.

"Good. Rictus, you're next. After she cuts her throat you need to go tell your dad, got it? Act surprised," Rictus gasped and raised his hands to his face. Fawn almost groaned and the Mechanic covered his eyes.


	6. Chapter 6

"Are you sure you want to trust your life with this idiot?" The Mechanic asked her.

"Hey!" Rictus shouted, punching yet another dent in the table.

The Mechanic ignored him and walked back to the counter. He pulled a few things out of the drawers and ordered them on the surface. Once he was done he leaned against the counter and crossed his arms, nodding for Fawn to proceed.

Before she could question herself she pulled the cloth away from her mouth and looked up at Rictus.

"Kiss for luck?" Her voice trembled, but there was some attempt at humor in her tone. Rictus looked from her to The Mechanic and then back. He looked unsure, but leaned down towards her anyway. When he stopped an inch from her face Fawn closed the gap, pressing her lips to his with a desperation she hadn't expected. His senses kicked in and he kissed her back hard enough to push her backwards a bit. Fawn touched a hand to his neck and enjoyed the feeling of being alive for a few seconds longer before dipping her head away, breaking their kiss.

Rictus remained close for a several moments, watching her with intensity. He had never kissed anyone before. He barely knew what a kiss even was. He definitely liked it though. It made him feel a sort of power he'd never felt before.

Fawn pulled the cloth back around her mouth, bit down, and tightened it in the back so it wouldn't slip off at a vital moment. A weak smile touched her eyes as she looked at Rictus and he straightened and took a step away from her. Fawn returned her focus to the mirror, looked at her intact face for the last time.

She held the scalpel to her left hand and pressed it against the pad of one of her fingers. Without much effort the skin gave and blood pooled up around the silver. She pulled back the scalpel and watched the blood curl around her finger. Somewhat relieved that the blade was at least very sharp she returned her eyes to the mirror and contemplated which to take. She closed one and then the other, deciding the left was clearer, so she might as well take the right.

Her grip tightened on the blade and she raised it closer to her eye, refusing to look directly at it. She ground her teeth against the cloth in her mouth and took one, slow, deep breath. Just as the last bit of air escaped her lungs her elbow jolted almost of it's own accord and plunged the knife into her eye. The piercing of her eyeball wasn't even the worst part, it was the scraping of the blade against the bone of her eye socket.

Heavy, ragged breaths and squeals of pain and fear escaped the cloth, but, as requested, they weren't loud enough to alert anyone outside of the room. She yanked the blade from her eye and, as hoped, her eye popped out with it. The pain of it hanging from the nerve was almost worse than the initial stab. She was frozen for a moment, able to do nothing but scream into the cloth. Without warning Rictus jumped forward and tore the nerve out without the least bit of resistance.

"You weren't supposed to intervene!" The Mechanic shouted, now very panicked about the situation at hand. Rictus ignored him and tossed the eyeball aside. He grabbed Fawn's fisted hand, reminding her through the pain that she wasn't done yet. This part almost seemed easy. With very little effort she raised the scalpel to her throat and moved it in one quick slashing motion.

While her screams turned to gurgling as she choked on her own blood the Mechanic pulled her down onto the table and pressed a hand firmly to her throat, the other yanking the blood soaked cloth off her mouth.

"Go! Tell your father!" Rictus fled the room and Fawn gratefully slipped from consciousness. She was still out when Rictus returned fifteen minutes later with his father. Luckily, The Mechanic worked quick and managed to keep her from bleeding out. However, she was far from out of the woods.

"She's useless to me now," Immortan Joe growled, looking down at the once perfect woman in disappointment. Part two of the plan had succeeded

"So, I can have her?" Rictus asked hopefully.


	7. Chapter 7

"No! Throw her to the Wretched. I'm sure they could use a good meal," Immortan Joe said and began turning to leave. It was then that the Mechanic spoke up, initiating the final part of the plan.

"She might still be worth something," He rubbed his chin, trying to act as if he weren't somewhat desperate for this to work. He didn't care about the girl one way or another, but he was deep enough in that the failure would be a personal one.

"What makes you say that?" Joe asked, sounding skeptical.

"Well, from the looks of it she survived about four days in the desert naked and alone without any food or water and then was crazy enough to rip her own eye out and not give up there. Even after cutting her own throat she's still kicking somehow. I say wait and see if infection doesn't set in then throw her to the Warboys. Maybe she wouldn't make a good wife, but that doesn't mean you can't use her," The Mechanic continued to look Fawn over, afraid of looking at Immortan Joe lest he give himself away.

"She's weak. She trembled before me," Joe spat.

"Mentally, sure, but physically? That sounds like a benefit for you if you ask me," At this Joe gave pause and ran his eyes over the girl. Perhaps he was on to something.

"Very well. Keep her alive, but if she becomes too much of a hassle you know what to do," With that Joe left the room, Rictus trailing behind, and their plan was so far a success.

It wasn't until the next evening that Fawn awoke. Upon opening her one good eye she had completely forgotten the previous day's events. When she realized she was inside she remembered the Citadel and when she reached up to see what was blocking the vision of her right eye and found bandages she remembered her suicide mission. She tried to sit up, suddenly both panicked and excited.

"Not a good idea," The Mechanic warned as he pushed her back down. "Don't go talking either. It's going to be a long time before anything comes out of that mouth. You really did a number on yourself," He plopped down in a chair next to her bed and put his feet up against her side.

"Mission accomplished, I guess. Bravo. I didn't think you had it in you. Didn't have to lie too much to the Immortan Asshole either. Those Warboys will make a man of you yet," Fawn smiled weakly and rolled her eyes. At least it worked.

"Oh, yeah. Gigantor brought this for you," The Mechanic tossed a plastic, blue eyed baby doll head onto her stomach. "You must be special. He hoards those fucking things. Creepy if you ask me," Fawn picked up the head in her thankfully lightly damaged hands and gave it the once over. It _was_ a little creepy, but she wouldn't give it up for the world.

"The hell do you see in him anyway?" The Mechanic grumbled.

Fawn smiled, flexed one arm, and winked, doing all she could not to laugh at herself.

"Oh, yeah, the muscle, huh? Doesn't matter that his head's a fucking bolder, I guess," She kept smiling at his sarcasm. "The guy has the brain of a six year old. He can't even read! And besides that, remember Furiosa? Immortan Joe had to hire her to guard the wives because Rictus doesn't know how to keep his hands to himself," Fawn shrugged. While that was unfortunate it wasn't exactly a problem for her. If he tried anything she sure as hell wasn't going to stop him.

Fawn gestured to herself and gave the Mechanic and questioning thumbs up.

"Yeah, yeah, you'll be fine," He waved away her worry. "Your throat will heal and you'll have a wicked scar, which will get you props with the Warboys. Flushing your eye is going to be fun for the next week or so. You can consider that payback for me putting my neck on the line for you," She made a face of indifferent agreement. She probably deserved it.

"Aside from that all you came in here with was a wicked full body sunburn and feet cut all to hell. You're one of the healthiest son's-of-bitches I've seen in ages. Try not to fuck it up," Something about his grumpy sarcasm was refreshing. He continued to complain about her and the situation she'd gotten him in until she fell asleep, this time much more peacefully.

When she awoke again it was due to the feeling of eyes on her. She opened her eye to find Rictus leaning over her. When he saw she was awake he shot her a toothy grin. She waved sleepily at him.


End file.
